The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1887-12-06

penitentary. The building was then entirely clear
Of convcts and we were confined in the yard
found about 20 federal prisoners in there and had
not been in the Enclosure half an hour when l was
inio-nedthat plot was on foot for general de
livery at an carly day.
TAere was q lire o. confederate sentinels on the
walls, and second line at Inc La of the walls
outside. This seemed to the confeaerates to assure
cur captivity, but, ten or twelve days previous to
my arrival, our bows lad begun a tunnel designed
to so under tie wall. They had begun at q SPOT
aboat forty feet back froin the wall, and the work
had all been done at night During the day blank
cts were thrown over the spot, old piece Of can
vas elevated for au awning, and no one could sus-
iect what wasSoing on under the very noses Of the
guards. On the second night of my arrival the
tunnel was finished. 1t came out close to an old
shanty twelve feet outside the wall, and every man
III the lnelosure was invited to make use of'it and
advised how to act when he once got outside.
The night was dark and rainy, andlthe men began
passing out at about O'Clock. 1t was midnight be-
lore my turn came, and the man behind NE was my
terminate and chum We had our own ideas OF
what course we should take after getting out and
instead of making bolt for the country we walked
coolly OIL into the woods for about mile and then
CT maed tree We were scarcely in place before a
great hullabaloo at the prison warned us that the
escape had teen discovered. Out of $50 prisoners
IN the place 2i7 passed out The others were too III
to go. The very last man was out when the confed-
crates made the discovery. There was great COM
motion inside of two minutes and inside of a Guar
ter of an hour the country was being secured in
every direction. may state here that only twelve
OF US out OF that large number eluded recapture.
Most OF them were taken before noon next day
Before daylight the woods in which we had taken
refuge were being beaten up by dogs civilians and
soldiers and had we been in fight we should GER
tainly have been Overhau!ed. Indeed they recap
tured numbers of prisoners within our hearing and
some Of them passed under our tree on their way
back to confinement. When daylight came we
climbed higher and secured better shelter, and we
did not descend from the tree until 10 clock at
night. During the day many searchers passed
through the woods, and had any of them lifted
their eyes we must certainly have been discovered
When we got down to earth we took half circuit
TO strike the Arkansas river at point far below the
town. and as we reachedit after three or four hours
hard travel, we came upon anesIo cabin. The man
was routed out, and as soon as he knew we were es-
cared prisoners be gave us hearty meal, bundled
Us up large quantity of coarse provisions and in
sisted that we LIZ use of his boat to go down the
river. He gave us the names of all the towns below
advised Us to lie by during the day and saw us off
with MAY de Lawd bress yer boat an see ye
frew?'
We were eleven nights padding down the Arkan
sas, and eleven days lying by in swamps and cane
brakes Alter the start we secured food only three
times, and that in small quantities 1t was always
from the negroes, and in no case did we fear be-
trayaL During those long nights we came near be-
ing recaptured score of times and during the days
we were so harassed and annoyed by hunger heat
ana insects that we were more than once inclined
to give ourselves up. We reached the Mississippi
one morning just at daybreak, and the smoke of the
federal gunboat Little Rebel was plain to be seem
We had to hide in q thicket and wait nearly three
hours before she came opposite. Then we signaled
and she checked her way, run out her loaded guns,
and sent q boat to hail us. The officer shouted:
''Who are you?'
"E capped prisoners"
''Where iTom?''
little Rock
"When did you escape?o
Twelve days ago"
He was 10Th to believe the story. The gunboat
backed IL within riaesnot the men stood 10 their
guns, AID we We're ordered to wade OFT on a bar IN
the dfCct.on of the small boat. When we were cut
until The water up TO our neeks the boat pul ell
slowly IN and tcoS us aboard, but it was not until
We were aboard the gunboat that our SO y was
the IS ape at Little Reck and we had no trouble
in identifying ourselves